Gear mechanism for a fishing reel

ABSTRACT

A gear mechanism for a fishing reel includes a drive gear, a handle, and a vibration damper. The drive gear includes a gear having a prescribed gear diameter, and a drive gear shaft rotated together with the gear and having a smaller dimension than the prescribed gear diameter. The handle rotates the drive gear shaft. The vibration damper is disposed between the drive gear shaft and the handle, and dampens the transmission of the vibration of the drive gear.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/646,547, filed on Jul. 11, 2017, which claimspriority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-199773, filed on Oct.11, 2016. The entire disclosures of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/646,547 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-199773 are herebyincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a gear mechanism for a fishing reel.

Description of the Related Art

In general, fishing reels include spinning reels, dual bearing reels,and the like. These reels comprise a handle assembly having a handlearm, and a gear mechanism that transmits the rotation of the handle armto a spool. For example, in the spinning reel disclosed in JapaneseLaid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-24231, when a handle arm isrotated in a line-winding (reeling) direction, rotation is transmittedfrom the handle arm to the spool, via a handle shaft portion, a maingear shaft, a main gear, and a pinion gear.

In Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-24231, a buffer memberis disposed between the main gear shaft and the handle assembly. It ispossible to suppress axial rattling between the main gear shaft and thehandle shaft with the buffer member.

On the other hand, for example, when the handle arm is rotated in theline-winding (reeling) direction, vibration is generated by the meshingof the gears, such as the main gear and the pinion gear. In aconventional gear mechanism, this vibration due to the meshing of gearsis transmitted to the handle arm, causing deterioration in the rotationfeeling during rotation of the handle.

SUMMARY

Therefore, if the transmission of vibration due to meshing of gears tothe handle arm can be dampened, it is possible to improve the rotationfeeling.

The object of the present invention is to improve the rotation feelingby damping the vibration caused by the meshing of gears, which istransmitted to the handle arm, in a gear mechanism for a fishing reel.

The gear mechanism for a fishing reel according to one aspect of thepresent invention comprises a drive gear, a handle, and a vibrationdamper. The drive gear comprises a gear that has a prescribed geardiameter and a drive gear shaft that is rotated together with the gearand that has a smaller diameter than a prescribed gear diameter. Thehandle rotates the drive gear shaft. The vibration damper is disposedbetween the drive gear shaft and the handle, and dampens thetransmission of the vibration of the drive gear.

In this gear mechanism for a fishing reel, it is possible to dampen thetransmission of the vibration of the drive gear by the vibration damperdisposed between the drive gear shaft and the handle. It is therebypossible to achieve an improvement in the rotation feeling.

Preferably, the vibration damper is elastically deformable, engages anengagement portion of a tubular member, and is made of an elasticmaterial with a lower rigidity than the tubular member. In thisembodiment, the vibration damper engages the engagement portion of thetubular member, and the rotation of the handle arm is transmitted to thedrive gear shaft. Accordingly, the vibration due to the engagement ofthe gears is transmitted to the handle arm via the vibration damper, andthe vibration is dampened by the vibration damper. It is therebypossible to achieve an improvement in the rotation feeling.

Preferably, the engagement portion of the tubular member engages thedrive gear shaft after the vibration damper has been elasticallydeformed by a prescribed amount; this is an embodiment in which therotational load is high and after the elastically deformable vibrationdamper has been elastically deformed by a prescribed amount, the handleshaft engages the engagement portion of the tubular member and rotationis transmitted; therefore, even if a high load is applied in theline-winding (reeling) direction, the rotation of the handle arm can bereliably transmitted to the drive gear shaft.

Preferably, the drive gear shaft has a large-dimension portion, and asmall-dimension portion that is formed to have a smaller dimension thanthe dimension of the large-dimension portion. The large-dimensionportion and the small-dimension portion are disposed in the innerperipheral portion of the tubular member. The vibration damper isdisposed on the outer periphery of the small-dimension portion. Thelarge-dimension portion engages the engagement portion of the tubularmember after the elastic member has been elastically deformed by aprescribed amount. In this embodiment, the vibration damper and thedrive gear shaft are capable of affecting rotation with a simpleconfiguration.

Preferably, the tubular member is made of metal.

Preferably, the handle comprises a handle arm that extends in adirection that axially intersects the drive gear shaft, and a firsttransmitting member that is non-rotatably coupled to the handle arm andthat has an engagement portion. In addition, the handle furthercomprises a second transmitting member that transmits the rotation ofthe handle to the drive gear shaft. The vibration damper is elasticallydeformable, engages the first transmitting member, and is made ofelastic with a lower rigidity than the first transmitting member. Thesecond transmitting member has a higher rigidity than the vibrationdamper and engages the engagement portion of the first transmittingmember after the vibration damper has been elastically deformed by aprescribed amount to transmit the rotation of the handle to the drivegear shaft.

In this embodiment, the elastic member engages the engagement portion ofthe first transmitting member and the rotation of the handle arm istransmitted to the drive gear shaft until the elastically deformablevibration damper is elastically deformed by a prescribed amount. Thatis, if the rotational load is low, the rotational force is transmittedvia the vibration damper. Accordingly, the vibration due to theengagement of gears is transmitted to the handle arm via the vibrationdamper, and the vibration is damped by the vibration damper. It isthereby possible to achieve an improvement in the rotation feeling.

On the other hand, if the rotational load is high, the secondtransmitting member engages the engagement portion of the firsttransmitting member to transmit the rotation after the vibration damperis elastically deformed by a prescribed amount; therefore, even if ahigh load is applied in the line-winding (reeling) direction, rotationof the handle arm can be reliably transmitted to the drive gear shaft.

Preferably, the engagement portion of the first transmitting member hasat least one pawl receiving portion. The vibration damper comprises anelastic pawl that engages the at least one pawl receiving portion. Thesecond transmitting member comprises a transmission pawl having acircumferential width that is narrower than the circumferential width ofthe elastic pawl of the vibration damper. The transmission pawl engagesthe pawl receiving portion after the elastic pawl of the vibrationdamper has been elastically deformed by a prescribed amount.

In this embodiment, the rotation is reliably transmitted by making theengagement portion a pawl receiving portion. In addition, by forming thewidth of the transmission pawl narrower than the width of the elasticpawl, the pawl receiving portion and the elastic pawl are engaged untilthe elastic pawl is elastically deformed by a prescribed amount, suchthat that the vibration due to the engagement of gears can be damped.

Preferably, the first transmitting member is metal with a plate shape,having a through-hole in the middle through which at least a portion ofthe drive gear shaft can be inserted. The engagement portion of thefirst transmitting member is recessed radially outwardly from thethrough-hole. In this embodiment, it is possible to realize thetransmission of rotation via the vibration damper and the transmittingmember with a simple configuration, even in a dual bearing reel.

Preferably, the first transmitting member is metal with a tubular shape,one end of which is non-rotatably coupled with the handle arm. Theengagement portion of the first transmitting member is recessed axiallyfrom the end surface of the other end of the first transmitting member.

Preferably, the handle arm comprises a female threaded portion. Thefirst transmitting member is fixed to the handle arm by a locking screwmounted in a locking hole formed on the radially outer side of thethrough-hole, being threaded into the female threaded portion. In thiscase, the first transmitting member and the handle arm can be reliablyfixed.

Preferably, the handle comprises a handle arm that extends in adirection that axially intersects the drive gear shaft, a firsttransmitting member that is non-rotatably coupled to the handle arm andthat has an engagement portion, and a second transmitting member thathas an engaged portion to which rotational force is transmitted from theengagement portion of the first transmitting member. The vibrationdamper is disposed so as to be capable of abutting the engaged portionof the first transmitting member and the engaged portion of the secondtransmitting member, transmits the rotation of the first transmittingmember to the second transmitting member, has a lower rigidity than thefirst and second transmitting members, and can be elastically deformed.

In this embodiment, the rotation of the handle arm is transmitted viathe vibration damper. Accordingly, it is possible to dampen thevibration due to the engagement of gears when the handle arm is rotatedin the line-winding (reeling) direction with the vibration damper. It isthereby possible to achieve an improvement in the rotation feeling.

According to the present invention, since the vibration due to theengagement of gears that is transmitted from the gears to the handle armcan be dampened, it is possible to achieve an improvement in therotation feeling.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of the spinning reel according to a firstembodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the spinning reel according tothe first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the gearmechanism in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the gear mechanism of thefirst embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the gearmechanism in the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4 showing a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a portion of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a view of a vibration damper and a second metal memberdisposed on the first metal member of the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a view corresponding to FIG. 9, showing a modified example ofthe second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the dual-bearing reel of a thirdembodiment.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the dual-bearing reel of the thirdembodiment.

FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the gearmechanism in the third embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a view of a vibration damper and a second metal memberdisposed on the first metal member of the third embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION First Embodiment

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show a side view and a cross-sectional view of aspinning reel 100 to which the first embodiment of the present inventionis employed. In the following description, “front” indicates thedirection in which the fishing line is unreeled; specifically, left inFIG. 1 and FIG. 2 is the “front.”

The spinning reel 100 comprises a reel body 1, a rotor 2, a pinion gear3, a spool shaft 4, a spool 5, and a gear mechanism 6 having a driveshaft 17 and a handle shaft 18.

As shown in FIG. 3, the reel body 1 comprises a case part 8 and a lidbody 9. The lid body 9 is attached to the case part 8 using, forexample, a bolt (not shown). The reel body 1 comprises an internal spacethat is defined by the case part 8 and the lid body 9. A portion of thegear mechanism 6, and an oscillating mechanism 10 for evenly winding afishing line, are housed in the internal space.

The case part 8 comprises a mounting portion 8 a that extends in thelongitudinal direction, as shown in FIG. 1, and a tubular first bossportion 11, as shown in FIG. 3. The mounting portion 8 a is the portionthat is attached to a fishing rod.

The first boss portion 11 is formed on a first side of the reel body 1(refer to FIG. 3). The first boss portion 11 comprises a firstthrough-hole 11 a. The first through-hole 11 a is a through-hole forpassing a handle shaft 18 therethrough. A first female threaded portion11 b, in which is formed a female thread, is formed on the inner surfaceof the first through-hole 11 a. A first axle bearing member 12 forsupporting a first side of the driveshaft 17 is attached to the innersurface of the first boss portion 11.

The lid body 9 comprises a tubular second boss portion 13. The secondboss portion 13 is formed on a second side of the reel body 1 (refer toFIG. 3). The second boss portion 13 comprises a second through-hole 13a. The second through-hole 13 a is a through-hole for passing a handleshaft 18 therethrough. A second female threaded portion 13 b, in whichis formed a female thread, is formed on the inner surface of the secondthrough-hole 13 a. A second axle bearing member 14 for supporting asecond side of the driveshaft 17 is attached to the inner surface of thesecond boss portion 13.

The rotor 2 is a member for winding a fishing line onto the spool 5. Asshown in FIG. 2, the rotor 2 is fixed to the front portion of the piniongear 3, and is integrally rotated with the pinion gear 3.

The pinion gear 3 is provided in the reel body 1. In particular, thepinion gear 3 is formed in a tubular shape, and extends forward from thereel body 1. The spool shaft 4 extends inside the pinion gear 3.Meanwhile, the pinion gear 3 is supported in the reel body 1 via aplurality of axle bearing members (not shown).

The spool shaft 4 is disposed in the reel body 1. In particular, thespool shaft 4 extends forward from inside the reel body 1.

The spool 5 is a member onto which the fishing line is wound. The spool5 is integrally reciprocated with the spool shaft 4 in the longitudinaldirection.

As shown in FIG. 3, the gear mechanism 6 comprises a drive gear 20, ahandle 7, and a vibration damper 25. The drive gear 20 comprises a drivegear shaft 15 and a gear 16 that has a prescribed gear diameter.

The drive gear shaft 15 comprises a driveshaft 17 and a handle shaft 18.

The driveshaft 17 is a tubular shaft. Both ends of the driveshaft 17 arerotatably supported in the reel body 1 by first and second axle bearingmembers 12, 14. Further, a female threaded portion 17 a, on the innersurface of which is formed a female thread, is formed at both ends ofthe driveshaft 17. The driveshaft 17 is formed to have a smallerdiameter than the gear diameter of the gear 16.

The handle shaft 18 extends through the second through-hole 13 a, and aportion thereof is disposed on the inner periphery of the driveshaft 17.As shown in FIG. 3, the dimension of the handle shaft 18 is smaller thanthe diameter of the gear 16. A cap member 19, which is threaded into thefirst female threaded portion 11 b, is attached to cover the firstthrough-hole 11 a, through which the handle shaft 18 does not extend.Meanwhile, a cap member 19 can also be threaded into the second femalethreaded portion 13 b of the second through-hole 13 a. Conversely toFIG. 3, if the handle shaft 18 is disposed on the first side, the capmember 19 is attached to the second through-hole 13 a.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, a male threaded portion 18 a, an annularshaft flange portion 18 b, a large-dimension portion 18 c, and asmall-dimension portion 18 d are formed on the handle shaft 18 from theinner end (the end positioned inside the reel body 1) toward the outerend (the end positioned outside the reel body 1).

The male threaded portion 18 a is formed at the inner end portion of thehandle shaft 18, and a male thread is formed on the outer perimeterthereof. This male threaded portion 18 a and the female threaded portion17 a formed on the inner periphery of the drive shaft 17 are threadedtogether. The handle shaft 18 is thereby threaded and fixed to the driveshaft 17, and is integrally rotated with the drive shaft 17.

The small-dimension portion 18 d has a smaller dimension than thedimension of the large-dimension portion 18 c. The cross-sectional shapeof the large-dimension portion 18 c and the small-dimension portion 18 dis an oval shape. Further, the handle shaft 18 has a screw hole 18 ethat extends through the inside of the small-dimension portion 18 d fromthe outer end of the handle shaft 18.

As shown in FIG. 3, the gear 16 is coupled to the driveshaft 17, and isintegrally rotated with the driveshaft 17. The gear 16 is a face gear,and meshes with the pinion gear 3. The handle shaft 18, the driveshaft17, and the gear 16 are rotated, and the pinion gear 3 is also rotated,by rotating the handle 7 that is attached to the reel body 1.Accompanying the rotation of the pinion gear 3, the oscillatingmechanism 10 reciprocates the spool shaft 4 in the longitudinaldirection.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, the handle 7 is mounted to the handleshaft 18. The handle 7 comprises a handle arm 21, a handle grip 22 thatis mounted to the distal end of the handle arm 21 (refer to FIG. 1), anda tubular member 24.

The handle arm 21 extends in a direction that axially intersects thedrive gear shaft 15. The handle arm 21 comprises a through-hole 21 athat extends through in the axial direction, on the proximal end side,which is the side that is attached to the handle shaft 18 (moreaccurately, to the tubular member 24 described later). A portion of thedistal end surface of the inner end of the through-hole 21 a is formedin an oval shape.

As shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6, the tubular member 24 comprises,in order from the outer end, a boss portion 27, a flange portion 28, andan engagement portion 29. The large-dimension portion 18 c and thesmall-dimension portion 18 d of the handle shaft 18 are disposed on theinside of the tubular member 24. The tubular member 24 can be membermade of, for example, metal.

The boss portion 27 is formed on the outer end portion of the tubularmember 24, and a female threaded portion 27 a is disposed on the distalend inner surface thereof. As shown in FIG. 5, a large-diameter holeportion 27 b is formed further inside the female threaded portion 27 a.The large-diameter hole portion 27 b has substantially the same diameteras the internal diameter of the female threaded portion 27 a, and isformed larger than the internal diameter of the internal engagementportion 29.

The flange portion 28 is formed to have a larger outer diameter than theouter diameter of the boss portion 27. As shown in FIG. 6, the flangeportion 28 is formed such that a portion of the flange portion 28 on theboss portion 27 side has an oval shape, and has a locking surface 28 a.The through-hole 21 a of the handle arm 21 is fitted to the outerperiphery of the boss portion 27 and the locking surface 28 a. Then, thescrew member 32, which is inserted from the outer side of thethrough-hole 21 a of the handle arm 21 is threaded into the femalethreaded portion 27 a of the boss portion 27. The tubular member 24 isthereby non-rotatably coupled with the handle arm 21. Meanwhile, whenconnecting the tubular member 24 and the handle arm 21, for example, aresin sheet (not shown) for suppressing rattling may be interposedbetween the tubular member 24 and the handle arm 21.

The engagement portion 29 comprises an oval-shaped engagement hole 29 ain the inner portion. The shape of the engagement hole 29 a issubstantially the same as the large-dimension portion 18 c of the handleshaft 18. In particular, the engagement hole 29 a has a prescribed gapfrom the handle shaft in the rotational direction. The large-dimensionportion 18 c of the handle shaft 18 is thereby able to engage theengagement hole 29 a.

As shown in FIG. 5, a bolt 30 is housed in the tubular member 24, fromthe central portion to the outer end portion of the tubular member 24 inthe longitudinal direction. The bolt 30 is threaded into a screw hole 18e of the handle shaft 18, which is inserted in the inner portion of thetubular member 24, and the head portion thereof is housed in thelarge-diameter hole portion 27 b. The end surface of the tubular member24 on the inner end side abuts the shaft flange portion 18 b of thehandle shaft 18, and the tubular member 24 is fixed to the handle shaft18, by threading the bolt 30 into the screw hole 18 e of the handleshaft 18. Meanwhile, seal members 31 are disposed between the head ofthe bolt 30 and the bottom surface of the large-diameter hole portion 27b, and between the outer peripheral surface of the large-dimensionportion 18 c of the handle shaft 18 and the inner surface of the distalend of the tubular member 24. The seal members 31 prevent seawater,etc., from intruding into the tubular member 24, and to suppress axialrattling of the handle part 7.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the vibration damper 25 is formed in anannular shape, and mounted on the outer periphery of the small-dimensionportion 18 d of the handle shaft 18. The vibration damper 25 is made ofresin, for example, and is an elastically deformable elastic member witha lower rigidity than the tubular member 24.

Rotation Transmission Path

In the first embodiment, the vibration damper 25 engages the tubularmember 24 and the rotation of the handle arm 21 is transmitted to thehandle shaft 18, until the vibration damper 25 is elastically deformedby a prescribed amount. In particular, the vibration damper 25 engagesthe engagement hole 29 a formed on the inner surface of the tubularmember 24.

That is, when the line-winding force (rotational force) by the handlearm 21 is small, the rotational force is transmitted along the followingtransmission path to rotate the rotor 2: handle arm 21→tubular member 24(engagement hole 29 a of the engagement portion 29)→vibration damper25→handle shaft 18→drive shaft 17→gear 16→pinion gear 3. Here, since therotational force of the handle arm 21 is transmitted to the drive gearshaft 15 via the vibration damper 25, the vibration due to theengagement of gears is damped and transmitted to the handle arm 21. Itis thereby possible to improve the rotation feeling when an anglerrotates the handle part 7 in the line winding direction.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 3, the vibration damper 25 preferablyincludes a dimension D2 (here, the dimension of the drive shaft 17 andthe handle shaft 18) of the transmission path that is smaller indiameter than the diameter D1 (here, the diameter of the gear 16) of thegear in which vibration due to the engagement of gears is generated.Further, a greater effect can be expected if the dimension D2 (here, thedimension of the drive shaft 17 and the handle shaft 18) of thesmall-dimension transmission path to which the vibration damper 25 isprovided is smaller than the diameter D1 (here, the diameter of the gear16) of the gear in which vibration due to the engagement of gears isgenerated.

After the vibration damper 25 is elastically deformed by a prescribedamount, the handle shaft 18 engages the tubular member 24 and therotation of the handle arm 21 is transmitted to the handle shaft 18. Inparticular, when the vibration damper 25 is elastically deformed by aprescribed amount (to a degree at which the gap between the engagementhole 29 a of the tubular member 24 and the large-diameter portion 18 cof the handle shaft 18 is eliminated), the large-dimension portion 18 cand the engagement hole 29 a come into contact, and the rotation isdirectly transmitted from the tubular member 24 to the handle shaft 18.

That is, in the case of a high load with a large line-winding force bythe handle arm 21, as described above, the vibration damper 25 iselastically deformed, and the rotational force is transmitted along thefollowing transmission path to rotate the rotor 2: handle arm 21→tubularmember 24 (engagement hole 29 a)→handle shaft 18 (large-dimensionportion 18 c)→drive shaft 17→gear 16→pinion gear 3. Here, since therotational force of the handle arm 21 is directly transmitted to thedrive gear shaft 15 without interposing the vibration damper 25, it ispossible to quickly and reliably transmit the rotational force.

In this manner, for example, when the load in the rotational directionto wind the fishing line is small, it is possible to transmit therotation to the drive gear shaft 15 while dampening the vibration of thegear that is transmitted to the handle arm 21, by interposing thevibration damper 25. Further, when a high load is applied, it ispossible to reliably transmit the rotation of the handle arm 21 to thedrive gear shaft 15, by directly transmitting the rotation from thetubular member 24 to the drive gear shaft 15. Meanwhile, the amount bywhich the vibration damper 25 can be elastically deformed, is set togreater than or equal to an amount that corresponds to the gap betweenthe engagement portion 29 and the large-dimension portion 18 c.

Second Embodiment

FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are an exploded perspective view and a cross-sectionalperspective view of a portion of the gear mechanism 106 in which thesecond embodiment of the present invention is employed. The overallconfiguration of the spinning reel in the second embodiment is the sameas the spinning reel 100 of the first embodiment, and thus, thedescription thereof is omitted here. In the second embodiment, only aportion of the handle shaft 118, a portion of the handle 107, and theconfiguration of the vibration damper 125, are different from theconfiguration of the first embodiment. Accordingly, configurations thatare different from the first embodiment will be described below.Meanwhile, the configurations that are the same as the first embodimentare given the same reference symbols.

The handle shaft 118 of the second embodiment comprises a shaft portion118 a, in addition to the same male threaded portion 18 a and shaftflange portion 18 b as in the first embodiment. The shaft portion 118 aextends from the shaft flange portion 18 b to the distal end of thehandle shaft 118 on the outer end. The outer dimensions of the shaftportion 118 a are uniformly formed. A screw hole 118 e that extendsaxially from the distal end surface of the shaft portion 118 a is formedin the center of the shaft portion 118 a. The cross-sectional shape ofthe shaft portion 118 a is non-circular, and is formed in an oval shape,in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

The handle 107 is disposed on the outer end of the handle shaft 118. Thehandle 107 comprises a handle arm 121, a handle grip 22 that is mountedon the distal end of the handle arm 121 (refer to FIG. 1), a first metalmember 35 (one example of the first transmitting member), and a secondmetal member 36 (one example of the second transmitting member).

The handle arm 121 comprises an arm portion 121 a, and a boss portion121 b that is integrally rotated with the arm portion 121 a. The armportion 121 a extends from the boss portion 121 b in a direction thatintersects the handle shaft 118. As shown in FIG. 8, a female threadedportion 121 c, on the inner surface of which is formed a female thread,is formed on the inner periphery of the boss portion 121 b. The outerend portion of the handle shaft 118 is housed in the boss portion 121 b.

The first metal member 35 has a tubular shape, and the outer end portionthereof is non-rotatably coupled with the boss portion 121 b of thehandle arm 121. In particular, a male threaded portion 35 a, on theouter peripheral surface of which is formed a male thread, is formed inthe outer end portion of the first metal member 35, and this malethreaded portion 35 a is threaded into the female threaded portion 121c, which is formed in the inner periphery of the boss portion 121 b ofthe handle arm 121.

The first metal member 35 comprises a through-hole 35 b and a pluralityof pawl receiving portions 35 c. The shaft portion 118 a of the handleshaft 118 is inserted into the through-hole 35 b.

Each of the plurality of pawl receiving portions 35 c is axiallyrecessed from an end surface of the first metal member 35, on the sideinto which the handle shaft 118 is inserted (inner end side). A pair ofside walls 35 d are thereby formed in the pawl receiving portion 35 c.

Here, a bolt 30 is threaded into the screw hole 118 e of the shaftportion 118 a of the handle shaft 118 (refer to FIG. 8). Then, an endsurface of the bolt 30 abuts the outer end surface of the shaft portion118 a via a buffer member 37 and a washer 38. In this manner, bythreading the bolt 30 into screw hole 118 e of the handle shaft 118, andabutting the head portion of the bolt 30 to the end surface of the shaftportion 118 a via the buffer member 37, etc., the inner end surface ofthe first metal member 35 abuts the shaft flange portion 18 b of thehandle shaft 118 via a washer 39, the vibration damper 125 and thesecond metal member 36. The first metal member 35 is thereby fixed tothe handle shaft 118. Meanwhile, the buffer member 37 functions todampen the vibration in the axial direction, as well as to prevent theloosening of the bolt 30.

The second metal member 36 is formed in a plate shape, and comprises athrough-hole 36 a and a plurality of metal pawls (one example of atransmission pawl) 36 b. The through-hole 36 a is a non-circular holethat engages the shaft portion 118 a of the handle shaft 118. The secondmetal member 36 is thereby non-rotatably attached to the handle shaft118. The second metal member 36 is configured to have a higher rigiditythan the vibration damper 125. Meanwhile, the second metal member 36 issandwiched between the pawl receiving portion 35 c of the first metalmember 35 and the shaft flange portion 18 b of the handle shaft 118,such that the movement thereof in the axial direction is restricted.

Each of the plurality of metal pawls 36 b extends radially outwardlyfrom the through-hole 36 a. The metal pawls 36 b are disposed so as tobe capable of engaging at least one of the pair of side walls 35 d ofthe pawl receiving portion 35 c, when the handle arm 121 is rotated inthe line winding direction. In particular, as shown in FIG. 9, the metalpawls 36 b are formed such that the circumferential widths are narrowerthan those of the elastic pawl 125 b. Accordingly, the metal pawls 36 bare disposed so as to not abut the pair of side walls 35 d when thehandle arm 121 is not rotating.

As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 9, the vibration damper 125 is formed in aplate shape, and comprises a through-hole 125 a and a plurality ofelastic pawls 125 b. The vibration damper 125 is made of resin, forexample, and is an elastically deformable elastic member with a lowerrigidity than the first metal member 35. The through-hole 125 a is anon-circular hole that engages the shaft portion 118 a of the handleshaft 118. The vibration damper 125 is thereby non-rotatable relative tothe handle shaft 118.

Each of the plurality of elastic pawls 125 b extends radially outwardlyfrom the through-hole 125 a. The elastic pawls 125 b engage the pawlreceiving portions 35 c of the first metal member 35. In particular, theelastic pawls 125 b of the vibration damper 125 are disposed abuttingthe pair of side walls 35 d of the pawl receiving portions 35 c.Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 8, the vibration damper 125 is sandwichedbetween the pawl receiving portions 35 c and the shaft flange portion 18b of the handle shaft 118, such that the movement thereof in the axialdirection is restricted.

Rotation Transmission Path

In the second embodiment, the vibration damper 125 engages the pawlreceiving portions 35 c of the first metal member 35, and the rotationof the handle arm 121 is transmitted to the handle shaft 118, until thevibration damper 125 is elastically deformed by a prescribed amount. Inparticular, the elastic pawls 125 b of the vibration damper 125 engagethe side walls 35 d of the pawl receiving portions 35 c of the firstmetal member 35, and the rotation of the handle arm 121 is transmittedto the handle shaft 118.

That is, when the line-winding force (rotational force) by the handlearm 121 is small, the rotational force is transmitted along thefollowing transmission path to rotate the rotor 2: handle arm 121→firstmetal member 35 (pawl portions 35 c)→vibration damper 125 (elastic pawls125 b)→handle shaft 118→drive shaft 17→gear 16→pinion gear 3. Here,since the rotational force of the handle arm 121 is transmitted to thedrive gear shaft 15 via the vibration damper 125, the vibration due tothe engagement of gears is dampened and transmitted to the handle arm121. It is thereby possible to improve the rotation feeling when anangler rotates the handle part 107 in the line winding direction.

Then, after the vibration damper 125 is elastically deformed by aprescribed amount, the second metal member 36 engages the first metalmember 35 and the rotation of the handle arm 121 is transmitted to thehandle shaft 118. In particular, when the elastic pawls 125 b of thevibration damper 125 are elastically deformed by a prescribed amount,the metal pawls 36 b with a narrower circumferential width than theelastic pawls 125 b engage the pawl receiving portions 35 c of the firstmetal member 35.

That is, in the case of a high load with a large line winding force bythe handle arm 121, as described above, the vibration damper 125 iselastically deformed, and the rotational force is transmitted along thefollowing transmission path to rotate the rotor 2: handle arm 121→firstmetal member 35 (pawl portions 35 c)→second metal member 36 (metal pawls36 b)→handle shaft 118→drive shaft 17→gear 16→pinion gear 3. Here, sincethe rotational force of the handle arm 121 is directly transmitted tothe drive gear shaft 15 without interposing the vibration damper 125, itis possible to quickly and reliably transmit the rotational force.

As described above, in the second embodiment as well, for example, whenthe load in the rotational direction to wind the fishing line is small,the rotation of the handle arm 121 is transmitted to the drive gearshaft 15 via the vibration damper 125, and rotation is transmitted viathe second metal member 36 when a high load is applied; therefore, thesame effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, in thesame manner as the first embodiment, since the vibration damper 125 isdisposed in a transmission path (here, the diameter of the first metalmember 35 (pawl receiving portion 35 c), the second metal member 36(metal pawl 36 b), and the handle shaft 118) with a smaller dimensionthan the diameter (here, the diameter of the gear 16) of the gear inwhich vibration due to the engagement of gears is generated, it ispossible to effectively damp the vibration.

Modified Example of the Second Embodiment

In a modified example of the second embodiment, only the configurationof the vibration damper 125 of the second embodiment is changed. Here,as shown in FIG. 10, the vibration damper 125 c is fixed to both sidesurfaces of the metal pawl 36 b of the second metal member 36. That is,the vibration damper 125 c is disposed so as to fill the gaps in thepawl receiving portions 35 c of the first metal member 35 and the metalpawl 36 b of the second metal member 36. The rotation of the handle arm121 can thereby be transmitted to the handle shaft 118 by the presenceof the metal pawl 36 b, even when a load is applied in a rotationaldirection for winding the fishing line and the vibration damper 125 c iselastically deformed.

Meanwhile, in the modified example of the second embodiment, since thevibration damper 125 c is disposed between the portion where the pawlreceiving portion 35 c engages the metal pawl 36 b, the pawl receivingportion 35 c and the metal pawl 36 b will not come in contact and engageeven when the vibration damper 125 c is elastically deformed.Accordingly, unlike the second embodiment, the rotation of the firstmetal member 35 is always transmitted to the second metal member 36 viathe vibration damper 125 c, even when the vibration damper 125 c iselastically deformed by a prescribed amount.

Third Embodiment

As shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the dual-bearing reel 200, whichemploys the third embodiment of the present invention, comprises a reelbody 41, a spool 42, and a gear mechanism 106.

The reel body 41 comprises a frame 45, a first side cover 46 and secondside cover 47 that are mounted so as to cover the two sides of the frame45, and a front cover (not shown) that is mounted to the front of theframe 45.

As shown in FIG. 12, the frame 45 comprises a first side plate 45 a anda second side plate 45 b that are arranged so as to face each otheracross a prescribed interval, a plurality of connecting portions 45 cthat connect the first side plate 45 a and the second side plate 45 b,and a mounting portion 45 d that is mounted to the fishing rod.

As shown in FIG. 12, the spool 42 is disposed between the first sideplate 45 a and the second side plate 45 b. A fishing line is wound onthe outer perimeter surface of the spool 42. The spool 42 is fixed to aspool shaft 48 that extends through the center of the spool 42, and isintegrally rotated with the spool shaft 48. The two ends of the spoolshaft 48 are rotatably supported with respect to the reel body 41 byaxle bearing members 50 a, 50 b.

As shown in FIG. 12, the gear mechanism 206 comprises a drive gear 220,a pinion gear 52, a drag mechanism 53, a handle 207, and a vibrationdamper 225.

The drive gear 220 comprises a drive gear shaft 215 and a gear 216 thathas a prescribed gear diameter.

As shown in FIG. 13, the drive gear shaft 215 comprises a first shaftportion 215 a, a second shaft portion 215 b, and a screw hole 215 c. Thedrive gear shaft 215 can have a smaller dimension than the diameter ofthe gear 216. Meanwhile, the drive gear shaft 215 is prevented fromrotating in the line delivering direction (casting direction) by aone-way clutch 55 (refer to FIG. 12) that is disposed on the outerperimeter of the drive gear shaft 215.

The first shaft portion 215 a is formed on the outer portion of thedrive gear shaft 215. The second shaft portion 215 b extends from thefirst shaft portion 215 a to the inner end, and can have largerdimensions than the dimensions of the first shaft portion 215 a. Thecross-sectional shape of the first shaft portion 215 a and the secondshaft portion 215 b is non-circular, and is an oval shape here. Thescrew hole 215 c extends from an end surface of the first shaft portion215 a through the inside of the first shaft portion 215 a.

The gear 216 is attached to the drive gear shaft 215. The gear 216 isrotated together with the drive gear shaft 215. The pinion gear 52meshes with the gear 216. The drag mechanism 53 brakes the rotation ofthe spool 42 in the line-delivering direction. Here, a detaileddescription of the drag mechanism 53 is omitted.

The handle 207 is attached to the first shaft portion 215 a of the drivegear shaft 215. The handle 207 comprises a handle arm 221, handle grips222 that are mounted on the ends of the handle arm 221, a first metalmember 235 (one example of the first transmitting member), and a secondmetal member 236 (one example of the second transmitting member).

The handle arm 221 extends in a direction that axially intersects thedrive gear shaft 215. As shown in FIG. 13, the handle arm 221 comprisesa through-hole 221 a that extends through the center in the axialdirection. A plurality of female threaded portions 221 b that extendthrough in the axial direction are formed around the periphery of thethrough-hole 221 a. Female threads are formed on the inner surface ofthe female threaded portions 221 b.

As shown in FIG. 13, the first metal member 235 has a plate shape, andcomprises a through-hole 235 b, a plurality of pawl receiving portions235 c, and a plurality of locking holes 235 e.

The first shaft portion 215 a of the drive gear shaft 215 extendsthrough the through-hole 235 b. Here, a bolt 56 extends through thethrough-hole 221 a of the handle arm 221 from the outer end side of thehandle arm 221, and is threaded into the screw hole 215 c of the firstshaft portion 215 a (refer to FIG. 12). Then, an end surface of the bolt56 abuts the outer surface of the handle arm 221 via a buffer member237. In this manner, by threading the bolt 56 into screw hole 215 c ofthe drive gear shaft 215, and abutting the head portion of the bolt 56to the outer surface of the handle arm 221 via the buffer member 237,the inner side surface of the handle arm 221 abuts the outer end surfaceof the second shaft portion 215 b of the drive gear shaft 215 via thevibration damper 225 and the second metal member 236. The handle arm 221is thereby attached to the drive gear shaft 215. The buffer member 237damps the vibration in the axial direction, as well as preventsloosening of the bolt 56.

Each of the plurality of pawl receiving portions 235 c is recessedradially outwardly from the through-hole 235 b. As shown in FIG. 14, apair of side walls 235 d are thereby formed in each pawl receivingportion 235 c.

Each of the plurality of locking holes 235 e is formed radiallyoutwardly of the pawl receiving portion 235 c. Screws 57 extend throughlocking holes 235 e from the reel body 41 side of the first metal member235, and are threaded into the female threaded portion 221 b of thehandle arm 221. The first metal member 235 is thereby non-rotatablycoupled with the handle arm 221.

The second metal member 236 is formed in a plate shape, and comprises athrough-hole 236 a and a plurality of metal pawls (one example of atransmission pawl) 236 b. The through-hole 236 a is a non-circular holethat is engaged by the first shaft portion 218 a. The second metalmember 236 is thereby non-rotatably attached to the drive gear shaft215. The second metal member 236 can have a higher rigidity than thevibration damper 225.

Each of the plurality of metal pawls 236 b extends radially outwardlyfrom the through-hole 236 a. The metal pawls 236 b are disposed so as tobe capable of engaging at least one of the pair of side walls 235 d ofthe pawl receiving portions 235 c, when the handle arm 221 is rotated inthe line-winding direction. In particular, as shown in FIG. 14, themetal pawls 236 b are formed such that the circumferential widths arenarrower than those of the elastic pawls 225 b described later.Accordingly, the metal pawls 236 b are disposed so as to not abut withthe pair of side walls 235 d, in a state in which the handle arm 221 isnot being rotated.

The vibration damper 225 is formed in a plate shape, and comprises athrough-hole 225 a and a plurality of elastic pawls 225 b. The vibrationdamper 225 can be made of resin, for example, and is an elasticallydeformable elastic member with a lower rigidity than the first metalmember 235.

The through-hole 225 a is a non-circular hole that engages with thefirst shaft portion 218 a. The vibration damper 225 is therebynon-rotatable with respect to the handle shaft 218.

Each of the plurality of elastic pawls 225 b extends radially outwardlyfrom the through-hole 225 a. The elastic pawls 225 b engage the pawlreceiving portions 235 c. In particular, as shown in FIG. 14, theelastic pawls 225 b of the vibration damper 225 are disposed abuttingthe pair of side walls 235 d of the pawl receiving portions 235 c.

Rotation Transmission Path

The rotation transmission path of the third embodiment has the sameconfiguration as the second embodiment, and follows the same rotationtransmission path as that of the second embodiment. Therefore, adetailed description is omitted here.

Other Embodiments

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments,and various modifications and adjustments are possible. Especially, thevarious embodiments and modified examples described in the presentSpecification can be freely combined according to necessity.

In the first embodiment, a large-dimension portion 18 c and asmall-dimension portion 18 d are formed on the handle shaft 18, and avibration damper 25 is attached to the outer periphery of thesmall-dimension portion 18 d; however, the handle shaft 18 can beconfigured to have a uniform outer dimension, and an elastic member madeof rubber or resin may be attached to a groove provided in the outerperiphery of the handle shaft 18.

In the first embodiment, the engagement hole 29 a of the engagementportion 29 is engaged by having an oval shape, but the shape is notlimited to an oval shape. The hole may be engaged being having apolygonal shape, a D cut, a key, or a spline. Additionally, regardingthe second and third embodiments, as well, the elastic pawls 125 b, 225b and metal pawls 36 b, 236 b engage a plurality of pawl receivingportions 35 c, 235 c, but it suffices to have at least one engagementportion.

In the modified example of the second embodiment, it suffices to providea vibration damper 125 c at least to a portion where the first metalmember 35 engages the second metal member 36. Further, the vibrationdamper 125 c may be integrally provided on the first or the second metalmember 35, 36, covering the first or the second metal member 35, 36.

The tubular member in the first embodiment, and the first and secondmetal members in the second and third embodiments, may be formed by amaterial other than metal, as long as the rigidity is higher than thatof the vibration damper.

The modified example of the second embodiment may also be applied to thethird embodiment.

In all of the embodiments, it is preferable that the vibration damper isprovided in a transmission path with a smaller diameter than thediameter of the gear in which vibration due to the engagement of gearsis generated, which allows a more effective damping of the vibration.

What is claimed is:
 1. A gear mechanism for a fishing reel, comprising:a drive gear having a gear with a prescribed diameter and a drive gearshaft configured to be rotated together with the gear and having asmaller dimension than the prescribed diameter of the gear, the drivegear shaft including a handle shaft, and the handle shaft having alarge-dimension portion and a small-dimension portion, thesmall-dimension portion having a smaller dimension than a dimension ofthe large-dimension portion; and a handle configured to rotate with thedrive gear shaft, the handle comprising a handle arm extending in adirection that axially intersects the drive gear shaft, a firsttransmitting member non-rotatably coupled to the handle arm and havingan engaged portion, the first transmitting member being a tubular memberwith an inner surface, and configured to rotate with the drive gearshaft; and a second transmitting member having an engaged portion towhich a rotational force is capable of being transmitted from theengaged portion of the first transmitting member, a vibration damperhaving an internal surface and being disposed between the drive gearshaft and the first transmitting member of the handle, and configured todampen transmission of vibration of the drive gear, the vibration damperbeing formed in an entirely annular shape along an entirety of theinternal surface thereof, the entirety of the internal surface of thevibration damper extending around an outer surface of thesmall-dimension portion of the handle shaft and an outer surface of thevibration damper being disposed along the inner surface of the firsttransmitting member, and the vibration damper abutting the engagedportion of the first transmitting member and the engaged portion of thesecond transmitting member, being configured to transmit the rotation ofthe first transmitting member to the second transmitting member, andhaving a lower rigidity than the first and second transmitting members,and capable of being elastically deformed.
 2. The gear mechanism for afishing reel recited in claim 1, wherein the first transmitting memberhas an engagement portion forming a prescribed gap from the drive gearshaft in an inner portion thereof in a rotational direction, thevibration damper being disposed in at least a portion of the prescribedgap.
 3. The gear mechanism for a fishing reel recited in claim 2,wherein the vibration damper engages the engaged portion of the firsttransmitting member, and is an elastic member with a lower rigidity thanthat of the first transmitting member.
 4. The gear mechanism for afishing reel recited in claim 3, wherein the engaged portion of thefirst transmitting member is configured to engage the engaged portion ofthe second transmitting portion after the vibration damper iselastically deformed by a prescribed amount.
 5. The gear mechanism for afishing reel recited in claim 4, wherein the large-dimension portion andthe small-dimension portion are disposed in the inner portion of thefirst transmitting member, and the large-dimension portion is configuredto engage the engagement portion of the tubular member after thevibration damper has been elastically deformed by a prescribed amount.6. The gear mechanism for a fishing reel recited in claim 2, wherein thefirst transmitting member is made of a metal.
 7. The gear mechanism fora fishing reel recited in claim 1, wherein the vibration damper has acontinuous annular inner surface.